Tag: morag

How popular is the baby name Morag in the United States right now? How popular was it historically? Find out using the graph below! Plus, see baby names similar to Morag and check out all the blog posts that mention the name Morag.

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New to the top 20 girl names are Ella and Erin. Drop-outs are Hannah and Holly.

New to the top 20 boy names are Noah, Harris and Jacob. Drop-outs are Tyler, Aaron, Ryan and Liam. (There’s an extra name on the drop-out list because there was a tie for 20th place on the boys’ list last year.)

Of the 4,396 girl names bestowed last year in Scotland, 55 were given to more than 100 baby girls while 2,872 were used only once.

Of the 3,410 boy names bestowed, 74 were given to more than 100 baby boys while 2,197 were used only once.

In June of 2012 — exactly a year from now — Pixar is planning to release its 13th feature film, Brave. The movie is a fairy tale set in Scotland. The protagonist, a red-haired girl named Merida, is both a princess and an archer.

As far as I know, Merida is not a traditional Scottish name. Mairead, Murron, Morag…these are Scottish. I have no idea how Pixar came up with Merida, though. (Maybe they were vacationing in Mexico at the time?)

Anyway, the film looks cute. I have no doubt it will do well at the box office. And what happens then? First, a surge in the number of kids who want to take archery lessons. Second, and more importantly, bazillions of baby girls named Merida.

But that’s a long way off. Until then, let’s look at some of the U.S. data on this very rare name:

Best year? 1949, when 13 baby girls were named Merida.

Second-best year? 1957, when 12 baby girls were named Merida.

Most recent appearance on the SSA’s baby name list? 2002, with 5 baby girls named Merida.

Do you like the name Merida? Do you think it’s the sort of name that could really take off in the U.S.?